8.27.2008

great-full of life.

my good friend (like in real life) Maya over at Smart Aches recently wrote a post that made me ponder. In admitting her love for Ted Kennedy via his speech at the DNC a few nights ago on the verge of tears she was able to dig deep down inside and find appreciation for the life that she has lived so far...the things she's been lucky enough to see and experience- something I don't think we do enough of in our forward thinking culture. And this....made me my mind churn (well, that and she literally asked for her readers to list some of the defining and most appreciative times of their lives.

So I pose the same question to you....in her eloquent and potent words....

What part of our times are you grateful for?What makes you think, "holy shit, I got to live through that. I get to be the old person that talks about that bad ass moment."

My list thus far includes:

1- Michael Jackson

Its scary to think that in a decade or two, the youth of the world will not know who Michael Jackson is. They will not know his creative genius or god given talent first hand. And I am proud to say that I lived though his ups and downs and would still sell my kidney for a ticket to one of his concerts.....

2- Obama

this is a given. Whether he wins or not, the fact that the theoretical national term "equality" is for the first time living up to its "intended" merit makes me proud to be an American.

3- Darkwing Duck

this is a metaphor for all of the cartoons from the early 90s. They made kids wonder and imagine. And then they taught us a lessons. Forget the hidden puns, blatant stupidity and plots intertwined in deep-ness. This is a duck. He talks and fights crimes. Deal with it....

4- The Cosby Show

while I luv myself some Fresh Prince, Family Matters, The Nanny, Blossom, Clarissa Explains it All, Step by Step, Full House, Living Single etc, the cosby show is on an entirely different level. It is not of the present- there are no ridiculous Colin Farrell (the man child) moments or kooky Super Bad plots. The Cosby Show is a type of raw and intuitive funny that will last forever...and based on a single and real situation: Family. And that is some simplistic powerful groundwork of humor that no other show has since been able to re-create.

5- Goose Down Jackets

they were big. they were puffy. they were colorful. they were the late 90s. I picture myself as a old man talking to my non-twin grand kids "Back in the day we didn't have that gortex stuff...we had to walk around with real animal feathers in our jackets...it was a time of struggle." And they will look on me in awe.

....I plan on having more.

(Maya...you post yours. And the rest of you...you have to be appreciative of something).